5+ Organizing Ideas for Fall

Organizing your home for fall can help you transition smoothly into the new season and create a cozy, comfortable atmosphere. With fall being a busy season, Top Shelf Home Organizing created a simple list of five areas to organize your home.

Clothing and Seasonal Wardrobe Swap

Start by going through your wardrobe and transitioning from summer to fall clothing. Pack away lightweight summer clothes and bring out sweaters, jackets, scarves, and boots. Make sure everything is clean and in good condition. Consider donating items you no longer need.

Home Décor

Update your home decor to reflect the fall season. This may include changing out bright summer colors for warmer, autumnal hues, adding cozy throw blankets and pillows, and incorporating fall-themed decorations like pumpkins, leaves, and candles.

Cold-Weather Gear

Ensure your cold-weather gear is easily accessible. This includes checking your supply of gloves, hats, and scarves, and organizing them in a convenient spot near the front door. You might also want to prepare your snow shovels and salt for winter.

Pantry and Kitchen

With fall comes a change in culinary preferences. Take the time to organize your pantry, removing any expired items and making room for fall staples like canned soups, pumpkin puree, and spices for hearty meals. Consider creating a meal plan for the season to help you stay organized with your cooking.

Fall Cleaning

Fall is a great time for a deep cleaning of your home. Clean and inspect your heating system, change air filters, and ensure your home is well-insulated to keep it warm during the colder months. Also, clean out your gutters and downspouts to prevent clogs and potential water damage.

*Bonus Tip: Outdoor Cleanup

Don’t forget about your outdoor spaces. Trim any overgrown bushes or trees, rake leaves, and prepare your garden for the colder months by covering or storing outdoor furniture and equipment.

By tackling these organizing tasks, you can create a comfortable and inviting environment for the fall season while ensuring your home is ready for the changing weather and activities that come with it.

Remember that organizing your home is a process, and it’s important to approach it at a pace that feels comfortable for you. Start small, declutter one area at a time, and develop systems to maintain organization. Gradually, you’ll experience the positive impact it can have on your mental health. If organizing your home is daunting task, the professional organizers at Top Shelf Home Organizers are happy to help. Contact Jayme for a consultation. This article was written in collaboration with our friend, OpenAI.

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Fun Tips on Changing Out Your Wardrobe

An image of a closet to discuss organizing a person's wardrobe for a new season.The season change is a great time to assess and change out your wardrobe. Here are three categories the experts use to make this event as fun and simple as possible.

Existing Season

Filter through your wardrobe for the current season before packing it away or moving it to the back of your closet. Pull all clothing items out and group them by categories. While going through each item, decide if you enjoyed the item this past season or did not. There will be items you simply did not wear or did not enjoy wearing. Those can be donated. Clearing out items that no longer fit, you don’t like, or are worn out will make wardrobe changing now and the next season much easier.

Wardrobe Staples

Your wardrobe has items that transfer to multiple seasons. You will want to pull all these items out and sort them by category. Remove items that do not serve you anymore and pass them on. Take note of any staples that need to be replaced. Undergarments, socks, athletic wear, shoes, and jeans all fall into this area. Seasonal wardrobe changing is a good time to go through and organize your clothing staples.

New Season

Bringing out the clothing for the next season should feel fun and exciting. You may have stored these items in the basement, extra closet, or the back of your closet. These items should also be sorted by category. If there are any items you did not wear or did not want to wear the last time they were in your closet, donate them. Some clothing items might need to be tried on to ensure a good fit and a fabulous feeling when you wear them. Take note of any items that will need to be replaced.

Last Steps

Once all three categories have been sorted, organized, and purged, they can be combined into your closet and drawers. Off-season items can be laundered and neatly packed away. All items that are put back into your wardrobe should be items that fit well, make you feel fabulous, and provide good function.

When shopping for new items use your notes on items that need to be replaced to ensure you stay within your budget and have good focus. Your closet will have a fresh feel and coordinating your daily outfit will be fun and painless.

If changing out your wardrobe brings stress, we would love to help. Check us out at topshelfhomeorganizing.com or call Jayme at 262-373-9416.

10 Tips for Summer Preparation

Preparing for a season transition can be stressful, especially if you have school aged children wrapping up their school year and end of year performances.  While May is a busy month, I have created a list of things to do before summer is in full swing.  The key to summer is to have a plan. Summer Preparation Tips

  1. Budget 

    Summer days feel carefree and wide open. Your budget, however, may not be. Take some time to think about your summer budget. Summer time brings extra childcare and camp expenses. You may also be working a reduced schedule. Sticking to a budget can make your summer less stressful and more accomplished. No one wants to end the summer in debt and stressed out.

  2. Schedule
    A change in schedule for the family will bring new challenges. Plan ahead for summer activities and childcare. For you, schedule time for self care and exercise. If you are good about getting to the gym during the school year, you will want to schedule similar exercise time in the summer.  It’s easy to put other family member’s schedules before yours in the summer.  Your local library and school are great resources for scheduling activities for your children.
  3. Travel 

    Its time to plan your travel routes and lodging for summer travel.  Choose your destination, and schedule and research the best flights, routes and lodging.  If you have your travel plans nailed down, its time to get into the details.  Research the best local cuisine, fun day excursions, the best parks in the area, and free things to do with kids.  It is also a good idea to gather all important travel documents, and know where the local medical clinics are and drug stores for necessities while traveling.  For the weekends you are local, research your city’s summer bucket list for fun local explorations.

  4. Lazy Days 

    Plan plenty of lazy days for you and your family.  Allow yourself some time to read a book, nap in the hammock or putts in the garden. Kids love exploring in the backyard, creating fairy gardens, collecting bugs and camping in the backyard.  These creative activities are tough to accomplish with an overscheduled summer.

  5. Self Care 

    Do a few things for yourself in advance of summer time.  Schedule a hair appointment for a fresh cut and color. Pay attention to your feet by starting the sandal season with a fresh pedicure.  Stock up on sunscreen for both your body and your face. Declutter your makeup, toss the old items and add a fresh lip color to your collection.  This is also a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet. Dispose of expired or unneeded medications, and ensure your first aid kit is stocked.

  6. Your Wardrobe 

    If you have not yet transitioned your wardrobe, do it now. Purge the fall, winter and spring items that don’t suit you, instead of packing them away. If you didn’t like them this year, you won’t like them next year (even if you lose the ten pounds you are working on). For your summer wardrobe, get all items from storage. Carefully select the items you want to wear, purge the rest.  Make a list of items you need to complete your wardrobe and carefully purchase only those items.

  7. Kids Wardrobe 

    This purge is very similar to what you would do for your own wardrobe.  The good news is that it is easier to work through someone else’s clothes than your own.  Remove the fall, winter and spring items that are worn, stained and will not fit your children next year. If you are saving clothing for a younger child, only save the items that you truly love and are in good condition. There is no reason to handle stained or worn clothes more than one time. Neatly pack away the clothes you are saving.  Make sure they are clean and neatly folded, and placed in clear plastic bins that are labeled so you know right where to find them.  Make a list of the items your children need for the summer season, so you can once again shop with meaning.  Keep in mind summer camp and extended trips when inventorying kids clothes.

  8. Purge Toys 

    With the kids spending more time outdoors, it is a great time to get into the playroom and basement, and purge the toys they don’t receive joy from.  Consider the plastic toy sets they received for their birthday that are now missing parts and have broken pieces, the toys they scatter around unproductively, the nostalgic toy your mother-in-law picked up at a rummage sale last summer, and the toys they have simply outgrown. Keep the basic toys that allow for creative play such as Legos, Magna tiles, dolls and a few Nerf guns.

  9. House 

    Prepare your house for a fresh start to the summer. Taking care of a few things inside and out gives you a neat and clean feel for the summer.  Inside the house a good deep clean and purge will free up some space.  Clean the windows for a clear view, and clean the oven now that roasting season is over.  Have your air conditioning system inspected and serviced.  Moving to the outside, give your grill a good scrub down.  You’ll be amazed how great a clean grill can feel.  Wash down patio furniture and the cushions for meals on the porch.  Tackle the weeds in the garden now while the soil is moist and soft, and weeds are small.  Apply a pre-emergent to your gardens as well to prevent new weeds from appearing.  Seed the areas of your lawn that are thin.  Add some fresh annual flowers to the front flower beds for some curb appeal.  Clean the walkway, driveway and garage floor.  Prepare your lawn mower by servicing the engine and sharpening the blades.  Inflate the bicycle tires and grease the chains for summer bike rides.

At Top Shelf Home Organizing, we love to help people get stuff done.  See if Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you get ready for summer.  Contact Jayme to schedule a consult or chat about organizing.

Steps to Refresh Wardrobe for the Cooler Season

The cool weather is here and it is time to organize your fall and winter wardrobe.  Here are some basic steps for refreshing your wardrobe for the cool seasons ahead.

1. Pack Away Summer Items

Fall Wardrobe OrganizingTake all spring and summer items out of your closet and dresser. Have all your items cleaned before placing them in storage. Moths love food remains and sweet smelling scents. Use storage containers that will allow air to flow. You don’t want to trap any moisture into the fabrics by sealing up your clothing in plastic bags and containers. Store the clothing and shoes away from your fall and winter shoes and clothing. Storage areas could be an extra closet, basement, attic, or simply in the back of your closet.

2. Organize Fall and Winter Items

All fall, winter and year-round items should be pulled out of your dressers and closets. You will want to sort items into categories; piles of pants, tops, sweaters, shoes, scarves, etc. Take some time to assess what pieces serve you well, what pieces can be removed and what pieces should be replaced. Before returning the items to your closet and dresser, neatly fold and hang them. If any items need cleaning, take care of this so your wardrobe is clean and ready for the season.

3. Remove Items

This is a great time to assess your wardrobe. Donate and consign items that no longer serve you. Women’s centers are always delighted to take in clothing.  Consignment sales, such as Divine Consign, are a great way to recoup some of your investment, and purchase items to complete your current wardrobe.

4. Replace Basics

Replace items that are stained, stretched, faded or no longer fit. Adding some fresh new basics to your wardrobe can make seasonal favorites feel fresh and new. This is also a great time to update undergarments and socks.

If wardrobe changeover and organizing is overwhelming, a professional organizer can help. See if Top Shelf Home Organizing can help you on your journey. Contact Jayme to schedule a consult or chat about organizing.